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La Conner didn’t just make Santa’s list this year. It also tops the list of 18 “Surprisingly Cool Small Towns in the USA” released this week by BuzzFeed, the New York City-based internet media company. BuzzFeed contributor Jemima Skelley posted her article Monday morning, describing La Conner as a “sleepy coastal town (that) comes alive in spring with the La Conner Daffodil Festival, where thousands of colorful flowers bloom in fields near Mount Baker.” The Tulip Festival is not mentioned. Skelley, a freelance travel writer and video produ...
After two decades behind the counter, there is no denying Robert Salazar has put his stamp on the La Conner Post Office. His quick wit, gregarious spirit and positive outlook – traits that have defined Salazar even as he has dealt with serious health issues – have endeared him with postal patrons since his arrival here in 2000. “So many people stop in every day to say hello to Robert,” La Conner Postmaster Deborah Crump told the Weekly News. “Some of them are people who aren...
A public hearing on adoption of a proposed new county ordinance for “enforcement of Health Officer Orders in Skagit County” and providing for civil penalties for violation was approved by the Skagit County Board of Health at its meeting Dec. 22. Skagit County Public Health Director Jennifer Johnson spoke in support. The Board passed a resolution calling for a 10:30 a.m. Jan. 20, public hearing. The resolution lists 11 “WHEREAS” items, reviewing the facts of the pandemic and international, national and County responses, including stateme...
Skagit County will likely record more than 1,000 new coronavirus infections in December, by far the highest one month total this year. Through Dec. 28, 957 positive tests have been reported, with 35 new cases the month’s daily average. Trends are for 3,000 COVID-19 cases since March. One-third will be this month. While daily new case counts have ranged between three and 109, a rolling weekly average is between 24 and 42 cases per day. Another 48 people were hospitalized in December, one-fourth the number of hospital stays since March. Four d...
If the novel coronavirus pandemic is an attack against every person, potentially, Skagit Public Health is the defending force in Skagit County. The health department, led by Director Jennifer Johnson, and advised by Dr. Howard Leibrand, County Health Officer, become the frontline troops seeking to minimize infections and the severity of COVID-19 cases of the virus last March. Gov. Jay Inslee issued his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order March 24, banning all gatherings and closing non-essential businesses as COVID-19 cases grew above 2,000 in Was...
For more than a decade, wherever he moved, Danny Hagen could not bear to part with the beautiful eight square foot framed painting of Mount Shuksan and Picture Lake that he picked up by chance while on a job in Bellingham. He knew the painting’s setting and appreciated its artistry. He just did not have a clear picture of its backstory. Until now. Hagen, a Shelter Bay resident who is an appraiser with the Skagit County Assessor’s Office, took to social media last week with a blanket request for...
Charity Dakota Jordan, a junior at La Conner High School, is someone who has her priorities clearly in order -- first school and then work, she says. Charity, the Soroptimist International of La Conner Honored Student for December, balances being a Running Start student at Skagit Valley College with a job. Students in Running Start graduate the same year as their classmate with a LCHS diploma and a SVC Associate’s Degree earned under guidance of counselors at both institutions. Charity learns h...
A year that started normally enough, with kids in school and tourists on the street, suddenly came to a grinding halt in mid-March. The aptly named novel coronavirus blossomed into a pandemic almost overnight, shutting schools, stores, canceling the Tulip Festival and turning spring into one long dark night. The La Conner school district, from teachers and staff at every level, through students and parents, made an instantaneous adjustment to remote learning. Merchants, inn keepers and restauranteurs suddenly were managing in a tourist town...
Covid-19 has us flying by the seat of our pants without an indication of where to land. That is a great headline about a vaccine but when you get down to the real nitty gritty of how and when and where you go about getting vaccinated, it is very hard to get information. I realize that medical workers and people in retirement homes are at the front of the line, and people in my age group and older are supposedly next, but how and where do we sign up? I am trying to get my pal, Father William...
To those who were taken aback by my letter on Joe Biden: His campaign promise to outlaw all semi auto firearms brought forth a surge of 10 million purchases of such weapons in the U.S. in the year 2020 alone. The National Rifle Association has long advocated that any felony crime committed with the use of a firearm shall have 10 years added to their sentence. If that were implemented and made mandatory it would cut the gun violence in half in short order because those criminals would be where they belong, behind bars. It is a common sense answe...
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community administered its first 72 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Monday at its medical clinic, with the first doses going to Tribal elders, starting with the eldest elders of the Tribe. Some front-line staff of the Swinomish Medical Clinic also received the vaccine. “We are thankful that we can begin vaccinations to protect those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19,” said Swinomish Chairman Steve Edwards. “We all know that elders everywhere are vulnerable, and that’s especially true in Indian Country...
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Health Dec. 24 situation report shows substantial decreases in transmission but still not enough to return the state to the lower levels of disease activity seen earlier in the fall. Based on the timing of this trend, the plateaus may be due in part to the current restrictions on gatherings and certain businesses. Report findings include: • The state remains in a highly precarious situation. The estimated proportion of the population with active COVID-19 infections is around the same as...
As everyone flips the calendar to 2021, Linda Talman is turning the page from her lengthy tenure on the La Conner Planning Commission. A retired teacher known for her thorough grasp of land use policies and as a tireless advocate for public parks, safe walking routes, wetland preservation and recreational opportunities for children, among other causes, Talman last week announced via a social media post her intent to step down from the Town advisory panel. “It’s time, right?” she asked in a statement posted just days after casting the lone...
Her remarkable devotion to others as she worked and traveled was well known to all in the Swinomish and La Conner communities where Darlene Peters grew up. Now the entire country knows, too. Peters was among recent COVID-19 victims whose memories were honored and many contributions saluted during the national PBS NewsHour broadcast Christmas night. “Out of all the COVID-19 deaths each week,” said Peters’ lifelong friend and former Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Senate Chairman Brian Cladoosby, “five are honored and their stories shared....
I received positive feedback from readers from recounting a Texas trip, including jail time, while doing bird photography. The state of Texas has proved to be interesting RV-wise, too. On US Hwy 10 in west Texas going east you could almost go to sleep at the wheel because the road is straight or nearly so going to Fort Stockton. It is mile after mile of nothing but mile after mile. It is open country and mostly flat land. The most common objects breaking up the boredom are the hundreds upon hundreds of large wind turbines on the low ridges....
Monday, Dec. 21 10:18 a.m.: Out of here – Vehicle was tagged and towed as an abandoned vehicle. Whatcom St., La Conner. Tuesday, Dec. 22 12:48 a.m.: Asleep at wheel – Deputies investigated a non-injury motor vehicle accident. The driver had fallen asleep and struck the center curbing of the roundabout. McLean / Best Rds., Greater La Conner. Wednesday, Dec. 23 8:46 a.m.: Stealing energy – Caller reported a theft. The suspect entered a secure area and took a generator; investigation continuing. Bay View Edison Rd., Bay View....
If you are like me, you assemble all the ingredients, the measuring cups, spoons, bowls and baking pans, prior to measuring and mixing. The oven preheats as I begin pulling every ingredient together. I prefer to put things back where they were. They are then easily found when next used. I used a mini loaf pan. This recipe makes 8 mini loaves or one regular size loaf. Ingredients Ripe bananas, 3 medium (1¼ cup mashed) Applesauce, unsweetened, 6 tablespoons Eggs, 2 large Honey, ¼...
